The proportion of students in Oxfordshire achieving the highest grades has fallen since Ofqual reinstated standard grading for GCSE exams, new figures have revealed.

With exams suspended in 2020 and 2021 and an amended grading system last year, the pandemic saw record grade inflation for GCSE students across England.

However, Ofqual reinstated a standard examination procedure in 2023 for the first time since the pandemic.

Oxford Mail: Pupils collecting their grades at Wallingford SchoolPupils collecting their grades at Wallingford School (Image: Albert Tait)

The drop in the number of high grades given out nationally was emulated in Oxfordshire, with 27.1 per cent of the 68, 175 exams taken by GCSE students resulting in grade seven to nine (equivalent to an A or A*).

This represented a significant fall from 33.3 per cent in 2021, which was the highest proportion during the pandemic.

Jo Saxton, chief regulator of Ofqual, said: "In terms of grading, this has been the second step in the two-step plan to get back to normal.

“So as far as Ofqual is concerned, the organisation is now back to normal,"

Nationally, 21.6 per cent of exams led to a student recording a level seven or above – roughly returning to 2019 levels of 20.6 per cent, but well below the 2021 peak of 28.5 per cent.

In England this year, pupils were given formulae and equation sheets in GCSE mathematics, physics, and combined science exams in acknowledgement of pandemic disruption to learning.

Ministers have faced calls to address regional disparities after the gap in top GCSE grades between London and the North East widened.

Schools minister Nick Gibb admitted the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils has widened during the pandemic.

Mr Gibb told BBC Breakfast: "We did achieve a 9% closing of that gap for secondary and we closed the gap by 13% for primary, but that has been undone by Covid, and now we need to get back to normality.

"We’ve got the recovery programme happening in our schools right now. And then we need to get back to the reform programme to make sure that we can continue to close that gap."

Overall, 28.4 per cent of GCSE entries in London – the top-performing region – were awarded a grade 7 or above.

At the other end of the scale, this fell to just 17.6 per cent in the North East – a gap of 10.8 percentage points. Last year, the gap was 10.2 percentage points.

In the South East, 24.4% of entries recorded a grade 7 or above.

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "The schools minister has confirmed that Conservative promises to level up education are dead and buried."